I first heard of the terminology GOOD and BAD
disagreements used by the Archbishop of Canterbury. How appropriate it
is for Malaysians today to understand how we can disagree, but in a positive
manner.
We have managed to politicise and
polarize everything, from education to economics and issues of race and
religion. We do so to seek popularity, to shield our ignorance or to further
our own vested interests.
Literally, anything that someone says or
does that we disagree with, we issue threats or resort to name-calling, labelling and
bullying. We use intimidation (by abusing the system or through lies and
slander) to silence what we do not want to hear. This is BAD disagreement.
A GOOD disagreement allows room for
differing voices to be heard. Where debates are won on the basis of facts,
discoveries and articulation of ideas and opinions. It allows for the
possibility that there is no one answer, no one truth, where accommodating differing
views and needs may be necessary.
I like to use the example of the
revocation of FZ daily permit as an example. Clearly, I have a disagreement
with the Government. I believe FZ should be granted the printing permit while
the Government obviously now thinks otherwise, after first agreeing to issue it.
A BAD disagreement would be to allow
our differences of views to be politicised. It also means to make accusations
of intent without reasonable evidence or to resort to any form of intimidation.
One popular view expressed for the revocation is that FZ
is anti-establishment and I am a friend of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his
family. This only serves to politicise the issue, and I do not believe this to
be the reason.
I have known Datuk Seri Najib Razak
and his family, as well as Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi, the Home Minister, for as
long as I have known Anwar. For those who see everything through a
political lens, let me add to your confusion. The printing permits for The Edge
and The Edge Financial Daily were granted some 20 years ago when Tun Dr Mahathir
Mohamad was the Prime Minister and Home Minister.
Another popular view is
that the revocation shows that the Government is rolling back on the press freedom it had promised. Again, I would be totally surprised if this is indeed the case.
It only serves to cast everyone into “my camp or your camp”.
The days when the print media industry
is the aggregator and distributor of news are long gone. We have moved from scarcity
of information to an overload. Reading habits have changed. The only place
where news is still contained is in North Korea. Even there, the walls are
porous.
Indeed, the contents of FZ are already
available online, for free. And its articles are often printed in the pages of
The Edge Financial daily.
More importantly, issuance of a print publishing permit and press freedom and a fair and politically neutral media are really quite separate issues in
Malaysia. How many of our newspapers, operating with permits, are really free
and fair?
I prefer to pursue this disagreement we have with the Home Ministry in
a GOOD way and not allow it to be politicised.
Firstly, we must respect the law and
the processes. The next step is to go to court for a judicial review of
the decision made by the Home Ministry. We have succeeded in obtaining leave from the court to do so before the recent revocation. Our appeal will go through the judicial process.
In court, both the Government and
The Edge will be able to present our respective case, respecting the court to make a
fair decision.
This is not the first time that I have taken a body of the Government to court. In 1995, I did
the same when Phileo Allied took the then Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange to court after it tried to
stop us from implementing PALDIRECT, an innovative platform for online stock
trading and banking. I believe the various vested interests wanted to block us because we were the first to have online financial transactions and have been a threat to them.
Today, every bank and stock brokerage in Malaysia or Singapore is using a similar system.
Today, every bank and stock brokerage in Malaysia or Singapore is using a similar system.
Secondly, we will pursue this
rationally by articulating to the government and the public our reasons, our vision, our values and why FZ Daily
can further the interests of the public at large.
Our vision is to enrich lives, through
communicating insights and analysis. We want to contribute to nation building
in the process.
Central to this is the need to reject
corporate kings and instead, to embrace fair and free competition with greater
social and economic inclusion. This will benefit the country through greater
efficiency, innovation and producing superior products and
services.
Only then will the best minds stay in
the country. Only then can we attract knowledge-based companies. Only then will
productivity improve.
The solution to achieve a stronger, healthier
and fairer economy, with higher wages, greater employment, rising stock market
and ringgit, rest squarely on whether we are prepared to have an inclusive
economy. This is the economic transformation we desperately need. This is what
The Edge stands for.
Whether we get the printing permit for FZ daily is really secondary. Whether, as a businessman, I am able to operate in Malaysia is inconsequential. The world operates on fairly free capital and human mobility and there are endless opportunities.
I will practise GOOD disagreements. I invite others to join me.
Whether we get the printing permit for FZ daily is really secondary. Whether, as a businessman, I am able to operate in Malaysia is inconsequential. The world operates on fairly free capital and human mobility and there are endless opportunities.
I will practise GOOD disagreements. I invite others to join me.
" The world operates on fairly free capital and human mobility and there are endless opportunities". I agreed. Only uncivilized human practise BAD disagreements.
ReplyDeleteTalking about the stock platform, I opened a Phileo Allied account at USJ branch many years ago but closed it after it was taken over by the "Tiger Bank". Today with a well known platform for accessing worldwide market such as NYSE, Nasdaq, CBOE and other 20 advanced countries, I made money comfortably wherever I am. Funny, the platform didn't include Bursa Malaysia. So I guess Malaysia is still not qualify to operate on fairly free capital.
ReplyDeleteMalaysia unfortunately and was to a large extent, built on the basis of being in the "right camp". There is no force of reason only force of being in the "right camp". There is little contest of ideas, but much contest to be in the "right camp". Tribalism comes to mind. It is not whether what is said is right or wrong, but whether it defends or offends a tribe. So I applaud you and all who want to make Malaysia a place where the force of reason will prevail and where a contest of ideas will be cherished. Good fight, this...
ReplyDeleteYes tong has been acquainted with Zahid a long time but Zahid may choose selective friendship so as to please his masters. Not everyone operates on the same level of maturity and universal good!
ReplyDeleteYes, I recall with fondness my Phileo Bank current account in the 1990's that paid interest; the first of its kind in Malaysia. Phileo bank officers were also a fresh new breed, well trained, highly motivated and most important, customer friendly. I still nostalgically maintain that account, now under Maybank, but hardly have human contact with its officers.
ReplyDeleteIf FZ Daily is ever published, I will be a subscriber for I truly believe Tong Kooi Ong will bring out an insightful & quality paper that can truly compete for our readership.
Good article and I agreed with what you have written. But I think the root cause of the problem is perhaps lack of transparency. For instance, if the reasons for the revocation of the printing license is clearly stated, people would not have speculated or "imagined" reasons such as political affiliation or other hidden agendas. If the reasons are stated, it would also be easier for us to works towards compliance and would not have felt aggrieved. The same applies to scholarship application. I have read many unsuccessful applicants "imagining" that the reasons their application is not successful is because of racial, political, etc. but I have also heard firsthand from the interviewer that some of the candidates simply lack other skills even though their academic results are very good. This problem would have been solved if the list of successful candidates are published together with their scores.
ReplyDelete